Burhan Wani’s successor and Hizbul commander Sabzar Bhat killed in Kashmir

Security forces on Saturday killed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sabzar Ahmad, who was said to be the slain separatist Burhan Wani’s successor.
Ahmad, alias Abu Zarar, was reportedly killed in an encounter in Tral in Pulwama, after he was trapped inside a house in a cordon created by security forces. Two other terrorists, one of them a Pakistani, were trapped with him. There are no details on them.
Both the security forces and the terrorists had been exchanging heavy fire since Saturday morning.
Sources told Kashmir Post that Ahmad recently visited Srinagar, very likely to meet Hurriyat leaders, to attempt to strike a truce with them following their spat with erstwhile Hizb leader Zakir Musa. Sources said Sabzar and Musa were rivals.
After Wani was killed last July, it was Musa who succeeded him as Hizb’s top man. Musa however quit the terrorist outfit May 13, after the Hizb refused to back his statement warning that separatist leaders would be beheaded for calling the Kashmir issue “political”.